mine has got to be Richard Burns in 1999 in his stunning Imprezza. :D
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mine has got to be Richard Burns in 1999 in his stunning Imprezza. :D
The first rally car I ever saw was on 80-81 a Lancia Stratos but not in a rally stage. I remember still how much fascinated I was , and couldn't take my eyes off her. What a beauty!
I had the opportunity to see one of them again 2 weeks ago in the Historic Acropolis in one of the most famous tarmac stages in Greece on the hands of Bianchini, winner of the event. Amazing sound, breathtaking looks!
It was the last stage of the rally and the contenders of the first place (Bianchini - Lancia and Jensen - Porsche 911) entered the stage with a difference of 0.50 second. Great stuff! Bianchini with the Stratos won by 9.50 secs at the end!
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e218/Kleis/.jpg
I grew up living just some 100 meters from a Swedish Rally stage, so my first memories of rally comes from the training. I will never forget the roaring in the nights and the lights flashing by. They could train as much as they liked (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) then, and during the nights I guess they could drive faster since they could see if the were meeting anybody easier. The first rally driver I remember was Henri Toivonen, who stopped and waved to me and my brothers during training, when we were playing in the snow along the stage.
I can't remember the first rally car I saw, but it was on the 1998 Wyedean. The thing I can most remember is the smell of the brakes and the endgines after the cars had gone past, and just the noise of the cars echoing through the woods. Have been hooked ever since. However the first proper car I can remember seeing is the almighty Peugeot Cosworth, ever since that February day in 98 i've been hooked with that car, there's simply nothing like it :D Can't wait to see it again tomorrow on the Red Dragon :D
306:
Andys Pug is great, but that Alferrari was a nice bit of work.
I remember competing against it - damn that was a lovely bit of kit too :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2rROTHn5y0
The first rally car I ever saw was in 1983. It was John Buffum's Audi Quattro. New to rallying, equipped with pathetic maps, I finally reached a stage in the middle of the night at 8000 feet in the Rampart Range of Colorado. Dead quiet, then the distant sound of the Quattro through the woods. Six Hellas turned night into day for a moment. It was spectacular and I was hooked.
Two years later I saw Stig Blomqvist drive a prototype Group B Audi S1 (E2)-- white with only a few sponsorship decals-- in the Olympus Rally in Washington. In 1986 at the same rally (a round of the world championship that year), I saw Alen (Delta S4) and Kankunen (205 Turbo E2.) Sadly, Audi had just retired from world rally after the Toivenen accident.
And the Audi S1's on Pikes Peak of Mouton and Rohrl. After Rohrl's run, I followed the S1 down the mountain in my Quattro, enjoying the glorious exhaust note.
Superg
I guess it was Timo Salonen´s Peugeot in the opening stage of the 1986 1000 Lakes Rally - can´t remember anything about it though being only just over a year old.
The first car i dont know but my first rally memory is Swedish Rally 1986 a flying Ford RS200 Group-B on the "Mölnbacka " stage.
Ist rally car I saw was my mate's Cortina Mk1 1500 GT (entered a 12 car as his Navigator. Ist International, Bjorn Waaldegaard in the Toyota Celica -Boltby night stage on the RAC iirc.
it´s really hard to remember the exact first rallycar i saw, but i remember my first rally. It was Saaremaa rally in the late 80´s. And then came the 90´s and Mitsus and Subarus were in our national champs aswell.